


Pregnancy Pretzel

by andachippedcup



Series: Domestic Belle [21]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-26
Updated: 2013-04-26
Packaged: 2017-12-09 13:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/774909
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andachippedcup/pseuds/andachippedcup





	Pregnancy Pretzel

The Savior, they called her. Well, what a lot of good she'd proven. _Have Belle do yoga_ , she'd said. _It'll help_ , she said. Oh, Belle had done yoga. Gold hadn't known so many different types of yoga existed but as usual, his bookish wife had done her research and enlightened him.

There were countless poses that were safe for Belle to attempt at her advanced stage of pregnancy. There was 'vakrasna', the twisted pose; utkatasana, the chair pose; konasana, the angle pose; Bhadrasana, the butterfly pose, and many more. Belle performed them dutifully and in rapid succession, they became a part of her daily routine.

But as the days had passed, Belle's… _flexibility_ had waned, leaving the little librarian huffing and puffing as she tried desperately to strike the correct poses, her ever growing stomach very much in the way. Even with a stomach practically the size of another planet though, his Belle was beautiful, even if she didn't believe him when he told her so. However, as in love with her fuller figure as he was, even he could not help but wonder just how much bigger Belle would get. Surely she was near to bursting already? Yet she was still several weeks from delivering their child, if the books were to be trusted (and according to Belle, they were).

Still, she stayed true to her routine and each morning before they took their tea together he could find her on her bright blue yoga mat, doing her best to stretch around her beach ball of a belly. However, during the thirty sixth week of her pregnancy, when Belle was late to their morning tea, her husband went off in search of her.

She was not terribly difficult to find.

Still on her mat on the floor, Belle was as tightly bunched as her body could get these days, sitting in a manner that did not exactly convey she was pleased.

"Belle? Are you alright, love?" He murmured quietly from the doorway, uncertain if he should disturb her or not. Belle didn't turn to face him, her back to him. Several long seconds of silence passed and then…

"…Rumple?" She responded, slowly and in an almost embarrassed tone of voice. Instantly curious, he crept forward and walked in a careful circle around his wife until he was face to face with her, though she quickly ducked her head to avoid his watchful gaze.

"Yes?" He answered her, his tone questioning as he waited for her to reveal to him the source of her embarrassment. At this point in her pregnancy, they'd been forced to be utterly frank with one another about a variety of things (he'd taken perhaps, too much enjoyment out of watching her squirm prior to revealing any embarrassing details). He knew what foods caused her to have indigestion or made her burp (she'd been horrified trying to tell him, he'd gotten quite a kick out of it). They'd taken the changes in stride and he wasn't about to stop now.

"What is it darling? You know you can tell me?" He prodded as he slowly (and with some difficulty) knelt down and reached a hand out to tip her chin up so she was looking at him. Belle nibbled on her lip in answer, seeming to mull over his words before she whispered in the tiniest of voices.

"I'm…I'm stuck."

Her cheeks were beet red at that point and he didn't quite manage to stifle the chortle that welled up within him. _She was stuck_. The laugh escaped him then and though he bit it back quickly, she still scowled up at him and crossed her arms sourly before her.

"Oh yes, it's terribly funny. I'm such a great big lump that I can't even get up." She wailed and here again he could see that her hormones were doing some serious work on her. The poor dear.

"Sweetheart, you aren't a lump; you're carrying our child." He pointed out gently, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her temple. "But if you insist on calling yourself a lump, you're the single most beautiful lump I've ever seen. And mind you, I've been around a few centuries." He whispered before he gave her a playful wink.

Belle laughed, sniffling as she wiped away her tears and then shook her head.

"You can't possibly think that." She murmured as she looked at him, prompting him to frown.

"Oh but I can. And I do. You don't understand, little lamb, just how breathtaking you are." He comforted, placing a protective hand over her stomach, staring at it with the utmost of love.

"I look like a whale, Rumplestiltskin." She mused aloud.

"You look like the mother of my child." He corrected, stiffly getting to his feet before he offered her both of his hands with raised brows. She accepted his offer and rather clumsily, he pulled her to her knees and from there onto her feet. By the time she stood in front of him, she was huffing and puffing from exertion and his own knee wasn't exactly feeling great from the amount of strain that he'd put on it by pulling her up.

"I feel huge, Rumple." Belle sighed as she examined herself. "I'm pretty sure even the elastic band holding up these pants would agree." She mused, plucking at her stretchy maternity pants with disdain. Shaking his head, he stepped closer and spread his fingers over her stomach and twined his other hand's fingers around hers.

"Huge or no, you're my wife and that is our child and you have never been more beautiful. You're just making sure our Little Bean has all the room that he or she needs." He smiled, kissing the tip of her nose as Belle smiled.

"Do you think Little Bean is really comfortable in there?" Belle asked, her free hand covering his as it rested upon her stomach.

"Of course Little Bean is comfortable in there. Little Bean gets to be safe and warm and gets to hear your voice. I'm quite certain our little one is so content in there that he or she just might decide to never come out." He teased and Belle, her eyes twinkling, chuckled and lowered her gaze to her stomach.

"I hope you're comfortable my little love bug but please, _please_ don't stay in there forever. I'm ready for you to come out so we can meet you…and so I can stand up without your Papa's help." She added with a giggle.

He watched her wordlessly, completely spellbound by the sight of her so heavy with their child. Truly there was nothing more gorgeous than a mother-to-be. Without a sound, he pulled her as close to him as her stomach would allow them to be in a tender embrace.

"I love you, _ma Belle_." He whispered and he felt her smile against him in response. Before she could return the sentiment, however, she went stiff in his arms and drew away from him, prompting him to stare at her with concern.

"Belle? What's wrong?" He asked, taking in how her eyes had become wide and round and her mouth had formed a little "o" of surprise.

"Rumple…I-I think my water just broke."


End file.
